Bridget Miller

Age: 26
Occupation: retail management
Number of Cruises: 5
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Destiny
Sailing Date: October 10th, 2004
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean

Before I get into a detailed review I just want to remark on the overwhelming number of negative reviews posted about this ship and this cruise line.

1. If you do not enjoy your vacation, that is partly your fault! Don’t sweat the small stuff, ask yourself is it really worth getting mad about? You are on vacation, you should be having fun!

2. The boat leaves from Puerto Rico. There will be other nationalities represented on the boat than just Americans. Instead of feeling like an outsider or a minority use the opportunity to learn about their culture. I never felt like an outsider on this cruise.

3. Do not use these reviews as a basis to book or not book a cruise. I almost did and I would have missed out on a great experience. These reviews are opinions and every one’s opinions are different. Please keep in mind though that Carnival does attract a younger crowd. There will be activities on board catered towards EVERY age group.


Ok now the details. This is the first cruise that my husband and I took with Carnival where we booked airfare and everything together. Let me tell you, it was much easier. On the day of embarkation I was prepared for the worst. After reading several reviews that said the process was long, I was pleasantly surprised that we were on the boat within 45 minutes of getting to the port. I was even more impressed when we got to our cabin and found 2 of our pieces of luggage already there! I have never had my luggage beat me to my cabin before.

The entire staff was outstanding. Our 2 waitresses were very efficient. They got us everything that we ordered. The food was great in the dining room. Our room steward was efficient as well. Although we didn’t see him often, he kept the room cleaned. I personally only saw one staff member get upset. He only got upset after he was pushed by a passenger. Think about the jobs that we do everyday…we sometimes get upset too don’t we? I was not offended at all.

The cruise director was great, entertainment was great. The only disappointment was the cancellation of one of the shows. It was due to stage props not working properly. They didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I had to agree with them there. I would have loved to see the show, but not if it meant someone else had to risk getting hurt to entertain me. They made some quick adjustments and had something else for us to do.

The ports of call were mostly beautiful. This ship has a busy itinerary. You will be ready for a day at sea just to catch up on sleep. St. Thomas is the place to shop! Great deals on jewelry and alcohol. There is a lift that you can ride to the top of the mountain to see the view. I personally did not do it, but wish that I would have after seeing pictures. Dominica wasn’t one of my favorite places. They have tours that you can take to the rain forest that I heard were really wonderful. My husband and I however decided to explore on our own. We weren’t impressed with what we saw. Barbados is beautiful at the beaches. We took the Malibu rum factory tour and beach break. The tour was nice, but we were upset when we got there and saw that anyone could take the tour for $10. We booked through the cruise line and paid $33. Aruba is by far the best island! This is the whole reason that we took this itinerary. Aruba is beautiful. Everyone is happy (its called “one happy island”). We just spent the day at the beaches and had a great time.

Debarkation is one area that I will have to agree with all of the other reviewers. That was awful! Not organized at all. But I do think that some of that is the passengers faults. Some people were standing down on the deck were we debarked waiting for their color to be called. This made it very difficult for the one’s who were actually supposed to leave to get off the boat.

Overall I liked this cruise very much. I will definitely sail again with Carnival. (this was our 4th with them) I often wonder how many people that leave the bad reviews are comparing Carnival with another line. I know that we took a Celebrity cruise and found ourselves comparing it with carnival. And quite frankly at the end of the week, I was complaining too. We are loyal to Carnival. Bottom line, if you take this cruise or any cruise, be open-minded. You are on vacation to have fun, so don’t let anyone spoil it for you.

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